Aaron Henry bests Gabe Brown in the most thrilling Moneyball Pro-Am game this summer

Watch highlights from Cassius Winston, Gabe Brown, and Aaron Henry in the opening game of the Moneyball Pro-Am playoffs
Nathaniel Bott, Lansing State Journal

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Michigan State University freshman and Team Quicksilver's Gabe Brown dunks on Thursday, June 28, 2018, during a Moneyball Pro-Am summer basketball league game at Aim High in Dimondale.(Photo: Nick King/Lansing State Journal)Buy Photo

DIMONDALE – With 2.5 seconds remaining in double overtime of the opening game of the Moneyball Pro-Am playoffs, Michigan State freshman forward Aaron Henry put it to bed. His opposition called time out, his teammates mobbed him, and he stood straight-faced in the same spot he launched his three-pointer.

The first overtime – and the second for that matter – happened because of fellow freshman wingman Gabe Brown. The lengthy wingman buried a jumper with seconds left to send it to an extra session, then hit a three-pointer to keep things going again.

Henry, however, had the last laugh.

“We’ve been competing ever since we’ve been here,” Henry said. “When we get on the court (at Moneyball), it’s for bragging rights. Now when we are in the dorm or just chilling out to eat or wherever, I get to have this one until he gets me back.”

As for if he knew his step-back three-pointer was going in, the response was simple.

“Absolutely. It’s a confidence thing, but yeah, no doubt.”

Brown finished with 32 points (27 in the second half/overtime) and shot 60 percent from the field. Henry’s last second shot took him from 31 to 34 points and upped his final field-goal percentage to 61.9 percent, sweetening the moment for him.

In a loose-playing atmosphere like the Moneyball Pro-Am, Brown lets it all hang out. He celebrates every make, talks trash to whomever, and showcases his wide array of dance moves at every dead ball. As for Henry, he remains all business. He slashes through the lane with intensity, won’t settle for shots and uses his strength to bully opponents who might not be giving it their all.

“It's always fun going up against Aaron,” Brown said. “We always battle, go at it one-on-one, king of the court and stuff. He’s learning my game and I’m learning his. We're just going at it.”

Team Definition and Michigan State University freshman Aaron Henry, left, blocks a shot by Michigan State University freshman and Team Quicksilver's Gabe Brown on Thursday, June 28, 2018, during a Moneyball Pro-Am summer basketball league game at Aim High in Dimondale.(Photo: Nick King/Lansing State Journal)

Come fall, the two will be fighting each other for minutes behind junior guard Josh Langford and senior Matt McQuaid. The duo faced each other three times in Moneyball, with Henry’s Team Definition coming out on top every time. Henry’s averaged an efficient 23.3 PPG during the moneyball circuit, but Brown holds the scoring edge, putting up 31.6 PPG throughout the Pro-Am.

Despite the personality clash on the court, the duo have become quite close off of it. They are roommates on MSU’s campus, work out at the same time every day and have developed, perhaps, the closest relationship between MSU’s freshmen outside the basketball arena.

“We work really well together,” Brown said. “Off the court, he’s goofy. He's always cracking jokes, he's always talking about somebody. We’re brothers and we act like brothers and that’s how it becomes when you are with each other every day.”

Brown couldn't let the conversation end without doing what brothers do best – poking some fun at the other's expense.

“When you see him (Henry), tell him he's got a big nose,”

Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @Nathaniel_Bott